Bangkok is the caipital, lairgest urban aurie an primary ceety o Thailand. Kent in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Thai:กรุงเทพมหานคร, pronoonced [krūŋ tʰêːp máhǎː nákʰɔ̄ːn] (listen)), or กรุงเทพฯ Krung Thep ([listen])(help·info), meanin "ceety o angels" for short, it wis a sma tradin post at the mooth o the Chao Phraya River durin the Ayutthaya Kinrick. It came tae the forefront o Siam whan it wis gien the status as the caipital ceety in 1768 efter the burnin o Ayutthaya. Housomeivver, the current Rattanakosin Kinrick didna stairt till 1782 whan the caipital wis muived athort the river bi Rama I efter the daith o KeengTaksin. The Rattanakosin caipital is nou mair formally cried "Phra Nakhon" (Thai: พระนคร), pertainin tae the auncient mairches in the metropolis' core an the name Bangkok nou incorporates the urban biggin-up syne the 18t century which haes its awn public admeenistration an govrenor.

Syne its inception as the caipital o Siam, it wis a target o European colonial plans, but due tae its strategic location in Indocheenae, it actit as a buffer-zone an brokered pouer atween the European forces. Throu this, it gained notoriety in the warld as an independent, dynamic an influential ceety. An in the span o ower twa hunder years, Bangkok haes grown tae become the poleetical, social an economic centre o Thailand, Indocheenae an ane o Sootheast Asie.

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Siege o Bangkok in 1688. Fortress haud bi the French (A), wi Siamese sodgers an batteries (C). The enclosure o the veelage o Bangkok representit in the lawer left corner (M) is the day's Thonburi.[8]

The toun o Bangkok (Thai: บางกอก) began as a sma tredin centre an port community[9] on the wast bank o the Chao Phraya River afore the establishment o the Ayutthaya Kinrick, the precursor o modren Thailand, whit existit frae 1350 tae 1767. The etymology o the toun's name is unclear. Bang is the Central Thai name for a toun situatit on the bank o a river. It is believed that "Bangkok" derived frae either Bangkok, kok (กอก) bein the Thai name for the Java plum (ma-kok, มะกอก), ane o several trees bearin olive-like fruits); or Bang Koh, koh meanin "island," a reference tae the aurie's landscape that wis carved bi rivers an canals.

Efter the faw o Ayutthaya tae the Burmese Kinrick in 1767, the newly declared King Taksin established a new caipital in the aurie o the than Bangkok, whit became kent as Thonburi. Whan Taksin's reign endit in 1782, Keeng Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke reconstructit the caipital on the eastren bank o the river an gied the ceety a ceremonial name (see belaw) that became shortened tae its current offeecial name, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon. The new ceety, housomeivver, an aa inheritit the name Bangkok, whit continued tae be uised bi foreigners tae refer tae the entire ceety an became its offeecial Inglis name, while in Thai the name still refers anerlie tae the auld destrict on the wast bank o the river. The ceety haes syne vastly modrenised an unnergane numerous chynges, includin the introduction o transportation an utility infrastructur in the reigns o Keeng Mongkut an Keeng Chulalongkorn, an quickly developed intae the economic centre o Thailand.

Local schuil childer are tocht the full name, although few can explain its meanin acause mony o the wirds are archaic, an unkent tae aw but a few. Maist Thais wha dae recaw the full name dae so as a result o its uiss in a popular sang, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (1989) bi Asanee-Wasan Chotikul an will aften recoont it bi recawin the sang at the same time, muckle as Inglis speakers micht sing the alphabet sang while recitin the Inglis alphabet.